Hikvision cameras and a specially designed SKOV VMS allows handlers to monitor the pigs
Hikvision worked with farm management solutions provider SKOV to bring the art of weighing pigs into the 21st Century, with the help of mini-dome cameras and a bespoke VMS system.
The pig is one of the most populous large mammals in the world, with an estimated 986.6 million pigs at any one time. This also means, of course, that piggeries are big business, as pork is the most commonly meat consumed worldwide.
Part of managing a piggery is to ensure that each pig is able to grow to its full potential. The average weight of a pig at market is 275 lbs, but keeping an eye on the weight of individual animals can be tricky. If a pig is smaller than it pen-mates, it is likely to be pushed away when it comes to feeding time. This means it will not grow to its full size. In this situation, pig farmers may move the smaller pigs into a separate pen, so they can get to the food and ‘catch up’ with their larger brothers and sisters.
Methods and challenges
But how do you weigh a pig? Traditional methods involved a tape measure and many hands and were, of course, very time consuming to complete. And that was without the math part at the end! Later methods saw farmers installing weighing apparatus, which was costly, and also time consuming with handlers needing to ‘persuade’ individual pigs onto the scales. Another issue with this system was that accuracy could be affected, as it was hard to tell if the scales had just one pig on them.
“The pig handlers need to drag the pigs physically to the scales, which is not only very hard, time-consuming work, but also stresses the pig out”, said Kasper Ronn Christensen, Strategic Purchaser at SKOV. “Stressed pigs don’t eat, which also affects their growth rate.”
Hikvision cameras and SKOV VMS solution
Enter a whole new innovative solution, using Hikvision cameras and a specially designed SKOV VMS. After testing various cameras, SKOV approached Hikvision because of the competitive price and clear, reliable pictures even at only 2MP resolution. That, combined with the ability to build a firmware specifically for their needs, persuaded SKOV to work with Hikvision.
Between four and eight 2-line mini-dome cameras (DS-2CD2142FWD-I (4mm)) are placed in the pigpens, to allow handlers to see what’s going on and to monitor the growth progress of the pigs. These specific cameras were chosen because of the low amount of spare space in a pigpen and the importance of an affordable solution.
Weight calculation and monitoring
“We were looking for a solution that could be used by piggeries all over the world”, says Kasper Ronn Christensen. “That meant we needed to make it simple, practical and affordable. The fact that, even at a relatively low resolution of 2MP, clear actionable pictures were consistently available made these cameras a smart choice.”
Connection to the SKOV VMS means that the pigs’ weights can be calculated and so monitored. The VMS also gives alarms if a pig doesn’t follow the required growth rate, so steps can be taken.
The success of the project in Denmark means it can be replicated all over the world to help piggeries to manage their pigs and make sure they maximise their potential. SKOV is offering the solution to all regions with piggeries, including in Thailand, where they have a subsidiary.
Digitalised smart farming systems
“The cameras are integrated and working as expected, so we can look to the future”, says Kasper Ronn Christensen. “We are really impressed with the way Hikvision adapted their firmware to our needs. I also love the innovative approach - who would have thought that a technology that was designed to help spot intruders could be used to ensure pigs grew to the correct weight!”
Peter Guan, Channel and Marketing Director at Hikvision Europe, said: “We are heading to a future where traditional farming is digitalised into smart farming, where surveillance cameras are not only used for crime prevention at the farms, but also as useful tools for farmers. Hikvision’s ecosystem partner program allows easy software and hardware integration so that end users can benefit from an innovative and more powerful complete solution.”

GRW is one of South Africa’s leading providers of sophisticated road transport trailers; designing, manufacturing and servicing a wide range of bespoke vehicles, each configured to provide a solution to the unique transportation needs of an individual client. GRW has now invested in a state-of-the-art IP CCTV system to protect its premises against unauthorised access and monitor the large, modern production facilities, and is already reaping the benefits from the integration of analytics with the IP cameras.
GRW transport operations
Founded in South Africa in 1996, GRW’s operations have always revolved around the transport of commercial goods. Whether it’s carrying petroleum, chemicals, temperature-controlled perishables, FMCG, pallets or bulk general cargo, the trailers manufactured by GRW are specifically designed to meet the individual transportation requirements of customers throughout Southern Africa, the Middle East, Australia and the UK.
All the company’s products emerge from its large, ultra-modern manufacturing complex in Worcester, in South Africa’s Western Cape. As well as housing the extensive production facilities and spare parts department, the facility is also home to GRW Services and GRW Financial Services, which are responsible for worldwide customer care and after-sales contract servicing and the supply of rental units.
Surveillance of the perimeter of this large facility and protecting the plant from unauthorised access was a key security concern for the company. However, manned patrols of the perimeter proved ineffective and Sensor Security was tasked with designing a solution that would automate the process of securing the boundary and eliminate the possibility of human error. At the same time, GRW recognised that an intelligent camera infrastructure might enable remote monitoring of the production process and Sensor Security was asked to investigate.Surveillance of the perimeter of this large facility and protecting the plant from unauthorised access was a key security concern for the company
Integration of analytics with IP cameras
“From the outset we knew that the proposed CCTV system should successfully serve a dual purpose, helping supervisors and managers monitor the workshop operations during opening hours and securing the perimeter 24 hours a day,” says Edmund Casaleggio, Sensor Security’s Sales Executive.
“There was also a need to make the combined system as simple and easy to operate as possible, ensuring that operations staff had unrestricted access to the workshop video feeds while not being distracted by the security cameras and vice versa for the security officers, who are best served by complete concentration on securing the premises.”
Following extensive consultations with GRW staff, the final design of the dual-purpose system involved a total of 18 Hikvision cameras, eleven on the perimeter and seven in the workshop area, all feeding in to a 32-channel Hikvision NVR at GRW, and to Security Sensor’s control room.
“GRW was actively involved in the whole consultation and design process, right from day one, with suggestions on key sites needing monitoring and protecting and information and advice on the flow of work and personnel around the workshop area” continues Edmund Casaleggio. “This was hugely beneficial and one of the main contributory factors in the successful installation. In my experience it is always more challenging, risky even, to install any security-related system without sufficient input and collaboration from the end-user client.”
A smart perimeter
Perimeter patrolling with guards having proved ineffective, GRW was also keen that the introduction of cameras did not mean that an individual would have to be assigned to constantly manage the CCTV system around-the-clock.
Therefore, the Hikvision DS-2CD4012F-A Smart 1.3MP low-light box camera was selected to monitor the perimeter of the plant, with active use of the cameras Smart Analytics intrusion flags ensuring that GRW’s security officers and Sensor Security’s control room are pro-actively notified of any unauthorised movement around the premises.
According to Edmund Casaleggio, “The integration of analytics with the Smart IP CCTV cameras is a significant added advantage, flagging alarms only when intrusion occurs within the specified range. We do not have to use alarm inputs and outputs to connect passives and actives on the DVR/NVR, which saves significantly on maintenance of the system. It also reduced installation time significantly. What’s more, the accuracy of these Smart cameras with analytics is far better than beams, as long as the cameras are correctly calibrated when installed. In this regard, the Auto Back Focus on these Smart cameras greatly assists the installation technicians to achieve the best possible viewing quality.”
As well as the Smart Intrusion Detection, the Hikvision DS-2CD4012F-A also features Smart Codec, Smart Focus, Smart VQD, Smart Face Detection and Smart Audio Detection. They also benefit from 3D DNR and Digital WDR, and the Day & Night IR cut filter allows successful video operation down to 0.001 Lux.
Remote monitoring of perimeter and workshop
Seven Hikvision DS-2CD2132-I 3MP Mini Dome Cameras keep watch over all operations in the workshop area, assisting the supervisors and managers to remotely monitor processes on the floor. This process is made much easier and more efficient for these staff due to the integration of the Hikvision DS-9632NI-ST 32-channel NVR with a PC, ensuring that operational staff are only presented with images relevant to the production area.GRW is already reaping the benefits from the integration of analytics with the IP cameras and is set to continue for many years"
“The full HD, 1080p real-time video is a huge asset for the supervisory staff and the camera itself, protected within its IP66 vandal-proof housing, has withstood the rigours of a harsh industrial environment really well,” continues Edmund Casaleggio. “True day/night operation thanks to its 30m IR range and Digital WDR and 3D DNR also contribute to the high-quality video at all times.”
A real success
“This newly-installed state-of-the-art IP CCTV system automates the process of protecting GRW’s premises against unauthorised access and monitoring the production facilities while eliminating the possibility of human error,” says Edmund Casaleggio. “GRW is already reaping the benefits from the integration of analytics with the IP cameras and is set to continue for many years.
“At the same time, they are benefitting from the user-friendly nature of Hikvision’s technology. This deceptively “simple” platform helps GRW staff to operate the software easily with minimal training while Smart features, such as ABF, aids our technicians to achieve the best possible video quality.
“However, the quality of Hikvision’s hardware and software does not come with an unaffordable price tag. In fact, since Hikvision’s iVMS-4200 software allows for the integration of analogue and IP cameras free-of-charge, this serves to increase the affordability of their products. What’s more, the free Hikvision software allows the feeds from analogue and IP cameras to be integrated on one screen.
“In conclusion, Hikvision’s huge range of cameras, NVRs, DVRs and software allows us to propose unitary solutions to their security needs and to more successfully back-up and service the installation over many years. Quite simply, it is easier to provide post-sales service and support with a single, reliable brand.”

When Salford City Council began upgrading its public space CCTV cameras with Hikvision's Darkfighter models, video operatives reported some unusual results: they were suddenly able to see crystal clear night time images. Previously low-light surveillance images were murky and suspicious activity hard to make out. Now, armed with Darkfighter cameras from Hikvision, Salford's control centre is able to offer true 24/7 active monitoring while simultaneously reducing bandwidth requirements.
The City of Salford in England's northwest is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, and includes Salford itself as well as the towns of Eccles, Swinton and Pendlebury, Walkden, and Irlam. More than 218,000 people live in the City, and Salford City Council and its partners fund 130 public space CCTV cameras which cover eight neighbourhoods.
Monitoring low-light public spaces
The CCTV cameras are monitored at a central control room located at Salford Civic Centre. This control room is linked to police radios so staff are aware of incidents, missing people or people wanted for questioning, and can easily pass intelligence to the police. Information provided by the council's CCTV team helped police arrest 200 people last year.
In such densely populated urban environments, CCTV monitoring plays a crucial role, and not just for keeping an eye on unruly behaviour after pubs and nightclubs close for the evening. Salford City Council's cameras were key players in providing evidence for Operation Pandora, the Council's high profile crackdown on fly-tippers, illegally dumping rubbish in the City.
But previous cameras struggled to capture clear and effective public space video images in low-light scenarios. This meant that operatives found it hard to offer a true 24-hour monitoring service after 10pm or 11pm, depending on time of year. Now that they've begun installing Hikvision's Darkfighter camera range, however, that is all changing.
An introduction to Hikvision
"Because of the limitations of the cameras we had used before, we had struggled to provide a true 24 hour, 7 day a week service", says Stephen Kearney, Salford Principal Community Safety Officer
Salford Principal Community Safety Officer Stephen Kearney said the Council began using Hikvision cameras two years ago after a house building partner suggested using them to monitor a new development.
"I'd never heard of Hikvision and wasn't sure about using untried and untested cameras," he said. "So we didn't install them at the development. We put them on the rooftop of one of our corporate buildings, and the next day the CCTV operatives called me and said you've got to see this - these are the best cameras we've got!
"So for the past two years we haven't installed any cameras other than Hikvision, and in that time none of the Hikvision cameras have failed, which is not the case with previous cameras we've used."
Challenges to overcome
Kearney said that as a local authority, Salford City Council faces multiple challenges when it comes to effective CCTV monitoring.
"The first of these is budget constraints," he said. "We don't have the luxury of being where we were five or more years ago when we had revenue funding available to support the growth of CCTV cameras, so we have to think extremely carefully about our ability to upgrade or replace our existing cameras when those go faulty. And the fact is that Hikvision's cameras are very competitively priced. And because of the limitations of the cameras we had used before, we had struggled to provide a true 24 hour, 7 day a week service - just because they weren't able to capture low-light images of the quality that Hikvision's Darkfighter cameras can.”
"In addition, the Hikvision cameras are far less bandwidth intensive than our older cameras. So we have a better quality product, it's cheaper to buy, and it's cheaper to actually run, because the bandwidth requirements are lower. So it's win-win all round. It's almost like an invest-to-save opportunity."
Enter the Darkfighters
After the initial use of two Darkfighter cameras as part of Operation Pandora's fly-tipping crackdown, Kearney approached his CCTV operators and asked where the most benefit would be gained from upgrading to Darkfighter cameras. As a result of their feedback, further PTZ domes were installed in October 2015 in Eccles Town Centre to replace older cameras.
"We were astonished at theclarity of the new 'Darkfighter'cameras. They really do turnnight into day and give us pinsharp images which will helpimmensely"
The Darkfighter domes were supplied by distributor ezCCTV. The models used were DS-2DF8223I-AEL PTZ network domes. As well as their exemplary low-light performance, these domes have a 23X optical zoom day/night lens and feature a wide range of smart functions, including face detection, intrusion detection, line crossing detection and audio exception, are rated for tough outdoor use, and provide full HD1080p crisp video images.
Kearney said the results so far have been undeniably outstanding. "We tried the product, and its performance was unlike anything we had experienced previously. It turns night into day. As and when funding permits, we will definitely be replacing more cameras with Darkfighters. In an ideal world, we'd swap out all 130 public space cameras for the new models from Hikvision!"
Future installations are planned to include Hikvision DS-2DF8336IV-AEL PTZ Darkfighter domes, which feature 36x optical zoom, and DS-2CD4A85-IZS 4K Ultra HD bullet cameras, offering ultra-high resolution images for powerful and effective real-time monitoring and evidential purposes.
Salford Deputy City Mayor Councillor David Lancaster said: "The CCTV cameras play a vital role in our city. Our staff report incidents to police, enabling them to respond quickly, gather evidence for prosecuting fly-tippers and have saved dozens of vulnerable missing people by alerting the authorities. We were astonished at the clarity of the new 'Darkfighter' cameras. They really do turn night into day and give us pin sharp images which will help immensely. Plus they are almost half the price of the previous cameras which is an additional bonus."